Equality And Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Publishes New Guidance On Religious Belief In The Workplace

Eweida and Others v UK

We recently updated you on a key European judgment (Eweida and Others v UK), where the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of a Christian employee’s right to wear a small cross in the workplace when her employer had asked her to remove it.

The court ruled that Ms Eweida had been discriminated against on the grounds of religion, as her employer had not achieved a fair balance between her religious beliefs and its desire to protect its corporate image.

Conversely, a nurse whose case was heard at the same time as Ms Eweida was told that her employer had not been discriminatory in preventing her from wearing her cross to work. This was because it was necessary for the health and safety of both employees and patients.

As a result of this key case, the EHRC has published guidance on best practice to assist employers in understanding the implications of the judgment.

Whilst the guidance is not exhaustive, it is a useful point of reference for employers when faced with issues relating to religion in the workplace. The guide gives a number of scenarios as examples and demonstrates how employers should deal with these in light of the Eweida decision.

A copy of the guidance can be accessed here.

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Equality And Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Publishes New Guidance On Religious Belief In The Workplace

Equality And Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Publishes New Guidance On Religious Belief In The Workplace